


Going Home

by orphan_account



Category: Gravity Falls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: M/M, bill is a manipulative ass, cipher horse, dipper horse, dippers already sick of this shit and its not even been a full day, here it is, like slooooooooow, the self indulgent crossover that nobody asked for, this is gonna be a slow burn, this will be a bit heavy on the mlp lore, why did i do this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-07 16:36:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4270356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill Cipher had seen a vision. He intended to take full advantage of the opportunity to realize it.</p><p>The Pines twins had just been curious. It was not Dipper's intention to fall through the portal into a strange world of brightly coloured horses, with only Bill Cipher and a very angry princess for company.</p><p>(Welcome to the mlp/gravity falls crossover that nobody needed but I decided to write anyway.)</p><p>THIS FIC WILL NOT BE COMPLETED</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It's night at the castle of the two sisters. The moon casts a soothing glow across the cobbled walls, and the stars wink knowingly. The world is bathed in silver and blue, calm like a lullaby.  
Luna paces back and forth, back and forth. She pauses, glances out the window at the serene, sleepy world, and returns to pacing. What more can she do for the ponies of Equestria? The stars are mapped out intricately, each one carefully placed. The night sky was her canvas, and she made it her masterpiece. She just wants someone to see the years of hard work that she’d put into it.  
At first she tried not to let it bug her. Ponies are not, by nature, nocturnal. If she worked long enough, she was sure everypony would stay up to see her sweet night. She was the shadow and the cool, but although she offered a break from the heat and the bright light, she was still just the shadow of her sister. She just wanted to be loved like Celestia was, but no one saw her work, the guards were focused on their work, and her subject were too involved with their dreams to see.

Until one night, the idea had come to her. Dreams. She must guard the night. And if ponies were going to spend their nights dreaming, then she was going to keep them safe. If Equestria was to sleep through her night, it may as well be peacefully. She should have thought of this sooner! She could help her subjects and they might even thank her for her troubles. She smiled at the thought.  
Once the idea was in her mind, it wouldn’t leave. She spent many weeks trying to find the spells, studying anything with but a mention of dreams. It was during these weeks that she found an old thickly bound book mentioning a dream spirit named 'Cipher'. The book's writer had apparently mixed feelings about the "gentlemanly but most likely insane" spirit, and Luna wasn't quite sure she should summon him without knowing what to expect. She had faced chaos itself though. She could handle a spirit. She had to be able to.

This brings us up to now. Pacing back and forth, back and forth. She is a princess; she could be endangering her subjects if she should summon this. She mustn't let any harm come to her people because she was too selfish. She stops by the window. There is not a sound to be heard. It’s so peaceful. It must stay peaceful. But even so...  
I cannot say what sways her mind in the end. But she takes a deep, tired sigh, before there's a bright flash, and she is gone, teleported away.  
The summoning is surprisingly simple it seems, merely a few candles and a chant in a language she does not know. She tries to ignore the sinking feeling of in her chest as the world around her drained colour. She plants her hooves in the ground firmly as a gust of what can only be described as energy hits her. There is a bright -too bright- glow of light. In front of her is a triangular shape of stars – not her stars, strange, foreign stars- and the sinking feeling hits rock bottom.

"Wow, Equestria! I've been meaning to visit this realm! Wow! You can just smell the magic here!" A high voice echoes around the monochrome woods. The brightness fades, and hovering in front of Luna is a black triangular being, which then fades into a bright yellow. "Ooh, so you must be royalty here! Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Princess." He tips his top hat, and the earth tilts a little. Luna's legs wobble just a little, but she stays standing. This is nothing compared to Discord’s chaos.

Unfazed by how stoic the monarch is, Cipher continues "So, what have you summoned me for? Well, I know already, so let's talk business!" The spirit spins a cane around as it hovers above Luna.  
"We wish for the ability to walk the dreams of our people, so that we may soothe their nightmares." She declares, in a loud, royal voice as she regards the spirit suspiciously.  
"Well, that should be possible! Moving celestial bodies means you've sure got a strong enough body to take that much power!" His voice is irritatingly chipper.  
“And what will you want in return?” She demands. Something about the spirit seems... Off. She can’t quite place the feeling. Perhaps ‘spirit’ was the wrong word. The triangular body flashes with an image of… a portal perhaps? But the image disappears into static as quickly as it came.  
"In return, you can assist me with creating a physical form. It shouldn't be too hard for a princess like you, Moon!" The alicorn's eye twitches at the name.

"And what do you want to do with this physical form, Cipher?" She would not make this deal if it came at a risk to her subjects. She was getting desperate, but she wouldn’t risk the lives of her subjects. "I'm not doing anything! You're going to preserve it until I need it, however long that may take." She tried to think of any loopholes. "You must not harm a single citizen of Equestria with this form - or without! My subjects must remain unharmed." On this she would not be swayed.

Cipher lets out a quiet, shrill laugh. “So, I will not harm any of your subjects -with the form you will create or the one you see me in now- and give you power over the world dreams. In return, you’ll help me build a form capable of containing me and my magic, and hold it in suspension until I have need of it!”  
He holds out his hand which busts into blue flame, casting unsettling shadows around the forest. Luna carefully replays what he says in his head, trying to find any loopholes in the deal. After a moment's thought she holds out her hoof.

The deal is sealed.

\------------------------------

Mabel had stumbled upon the old book on a trip to the library. It has a golden image of a unicorn on the cover, and inside was a series of pictures and stories about a land called Equestria. The second half of the book was a mass of frantically written notes, a message about a princess named ‘Twilight’ and a portal that opened every thirty moons. The writing seemed to imply that there were several similar portals to various worlds like the one this ‘Princess’ had been through.

The twins were curious, or course, to see what these -apparently sentient and very powerful- horses were like. So, after stopping by the shack to pick up some supplies, they had headed off into the forest.  
“So apparently, this ‘Princess Luna’ went mad with jealousy and tried to make the night eternal- Could you imagine? The fact that the monarchy literally raises the sun and the moon raises all sorts of questions about the physics and government of this world…” Mabel walks happily alongside her brother, listening to him ramble on about the politics of horses, sighing and enjoying the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. The forest is bright and airy, and the smell is fresh. If she didn’t know better, she might have thought it was just an ordinary forest.

After wandering around for a while she stopped and turned to her brother. “Dipper, are we going in any particular direction or just hoping that we’ll find that portal?” He stopped suddenly, looking at his sister sheepishly. She rolled her eyes and poked him on the nose. “Okay bro-bro, get your head out that book and find us a unicorn!” He smiled, and then bit his lip. “Ok so, apparently the portal will most likely be near a ‘Cave where sunset sees all’, whatever that means… The location of the portal is probably to the west then…” Mabel whips a very sparkly looking compass out of her sweater pocket. After a moment of staring intently at the compass and spinning in circles, she swings around and points westward. “ONWARDS!” She cries as if they were going to fight a fearsome battle. Dipper breaks into a grin as they begin their march through the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pines Twins and portals just seem to be a recipe for disaster.

After a good hour of wandering in a general westward direction, the twins come across a gaping hole in the rocky walls of the cliff that’s been running alongside them. The mouth of the cave is lined with brightly glowing crystals and glittering mushrooms that scream ‘magical’. Exchanging an excited glance, the two twins creep into the otherworldly cave. The whole thing is bathed in a cool blue light that reflects off the crystals and casts strange, eerie shadows on the glistening cave walls.

In the centre of the cave, nestled between rocks and luminous moss is a tall archway. The arch itself is made of solid rock that gleams in the cool light of the cave; with intricately carved crystal roses winding around the stone pillars. “It’s beautiful” Mabel whispers in awe. After a moment, she wrestles a camera out of Dipper’s over filled rucksack. “Dipper, take my picture!” She stands in front of the arch, and poses.  
“Mabel, we don’t know if it’s safe! There might be something living in this cave.” He mutters half-heartedly, biting his lip. He takes the picture anyway, and then drags her away from the arch. It does, admittedly, seem perfectly safe, bar the sharp looking thorns carved onto the stems of the roses.

“It’s just a sculpture, Dip-Dop!” She bounds towards it. Before he can protest, she walks straight through the arch and....

Nothing happens.

Dipper lets out a deep sigh of relief (and partially annoyance), and walks up to the arch. Mabel takes a few more pictures, because the roses would apparently look totally amazing on a sweater; and after scanning the rest of the cave a couple of times, Dipper concludes that there is no portal there. The sun is already starting to set. Had they really been walking for that long? Mabel bounds towards the cave entrance “C’mon, it's getting dark. Let’s head back!” She flashes him a grin and pulls out her compass again.

Just as Dipper takes a step to leave, the cave flashes a bright red as the sun’s light streams into the entrance. Dipper spins around in time to see the roses on the arch glow an angry red before a blinding light fills the whole cave.

Mabel is calling to him. He is being pulled backwards. He reaches for his sister's hand as everything glows like fire. He’s reaching out... But he can’t quite grasp her hand- He is falling backwards, and the last thing he sees clearly is Mabel’s eyes, wet with tears and fear. The twins scream for one another, but they’re both powerless. Mabel is running towards him but she can’t reach him fast enough.

Then the world is spinning, his body is stretching and pulsing to the point that it hardly feels like his own. Round and round he goes, all he can see is flashes of coral, amber and gold until finally- Finally it stops.

The first thing he notices is how dark and oppressive the forest around him feels. The second thing is just how wrong his body feels. The way he sits and the placement of his centre of gravity just isn’t right. “Mabel?” He calls hopefully. There is no response. The forest is as silent as death itself and Dipper can feel panic rising in his throat. Where is Mabel? Where is he? WHAT is he? He turns to look at his hands and sees only two small… Hooves? He’s on the brink of crying now, he doesn’t understand what’s happening, and his logical thinking has deserted him to his blind panic.

“Geez, kid! Just relax. Equestrian bodies are super useful. That meatsack is much more practical than any human form.” Please no. Dipper looks up, wiping his tears away with his strange hairy arm… leg? “Bill? What did you do to me?” He tries to stand up, but his limbs won't let him and he is stuck on all fours. The sensation is more than a little odd. “I didn’t do anything, Pine Tree! You and Shooting Star found a portal all by yourselves, congratulations!” The unmistakable voice of Bill Cipher is directly behind him. Dipper tries to spin around, but with his odd new legs, he falls flat on his odd new face. Obnoxious laughter fills the forest around him, and he finds himself wishing for the deathly silence again.

He pulls himself up onto his feet -hooves- in front of a towering figure. It’s a unicorn? No, it’s a.... Pegasus? No, it’s an alicorn. Bill Cipher is an alicorn. Dipper takes one look at the maniacal grin; the yellow mane and coat, and he knows its Bill, he’s not an idiot. The demon-turned-horse is laughing at him, and despite the fact that Dipper is painfully aware that he is in now way in control of the situation at all, the demon’s laugh still irks him a little.

“Where’s Mabel?” He asks, gritting his teeth.  
“Shooting Star? She’s back in good ol’ Gravity Falls. She ran all the way home after you disappeared. She’s still crying, actually! Boy, Pines twins and portals sure don’t mix.” Dipper’s breath catches in his throat. He tries not to picture Mabel crying. He tries to focus on the situation at hand. “If you’re wondering where, we are, we’re in Equestria. It’s been a long time since I was here, I hear a lot has changed!” How is Bill even here? Dipper wants to back away from the imposing figure, but he keeps tripping over his stupid legs.

“Let me go home Bill.” He tries to sound assertive, but his voice cracks. He winces a little. It feels weird with the snout he seems to now posses. Bill laughs at him. Again. “I can’t open a portal to your world from here. Encase you haven’t noticed, we’re not in the mindscape, kid.” Dipper had noticed, and he was very confused as to how Bill was here. First, how did Cipher get into ‘Equestria’? Then another thought stuck Dipper: Bill must have stolen the body of an innocent horse person. If that was the case, that would mean- “You’re just as powerless as I am.” Dipper states smugly, trying to ignore the fear he felt for whoever that poor horse person was.

Bill snorts. “No way, Pine Tree! This form was created specifically to hold me and my powers.” To prove his point, Bill begins to levitate, his horn surrounding in those cursed blue flames that Dipper wish he wasn’t familiar with. The flames appear around Dipper, who lets out a yelp. It doesn’t burn, but the tingly feeling all over his body is a little… Uncomfortable to say the least. He feels himself being lifted off the ground up to eye level with Cipher. “Out of the goodness of my heart, I suppose I could help you find a portal that’ll take you home.” Dipper narrows his eyes.  
“Let me guess: For a price?” He glares at the demon “Forget it; I’m not doing anything for you. Why am I even still talking to you? Put me down Bill, I’m not doing anythi-”  
“I’ll do it for free.” Dipper does a double take. Free? As if. He wouldn’t trust Bill as far as he could throw him. In the excessively tall form he was in now.

“What’s in it for you? I mean what have you got to gain from this? Why are you even here?” More and more questions keep pouring out of Dipper’s mouth until Cipher uses his magic to literally zip it shut. “That’s enough questions for now, Pine Tree; but if you want to so badly, we could make a deal. I’ll take you to a portal home, and you’ll stop asking me questions” Dipper shook his head violently. Cipher grinned. “Alright then. But I will get you home Pine Tree, perhaps you can attempt to figure out my 'evil' scheme." He flashes Dipper a grin which is anything but reassuring. "I think it’s about time we paid an old associate of mine a visit. I think you’ll find her to be quite interesting."

\-------------------

Mabel’s eyes hurt from crying. Her legs and feet hurt from running. Her hands hurt from clutching the brim of Dipper’s hat too tightly. It was the only thing that had stayed in Gravity Falls. Dipper was gone. He was gone. Her eyes began to leak again, and Grunkle Stan pulled her into a tight hug. There was a grim look on his face; you could almost hear his brain whirring away. On what, I couldn’t tell you. But he was lost deep in his thoughts, holding his great niece tightly while she cried on his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry. But also I'm not. Anyway, I went ahead and wrote some more, because I haven't felt this much drive to do something creative in a while. Tell me what you think, and if I wrote everyone in character! The next chapter actually has a very thorough plan. Which is somewhere. No idea where, but somewhere. There's probably a mix of British and American English here, because auto correct can't seem to make up it's mind on my computer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams are pretty intense when you're stuck with a dream demon and a dream-traversing princess.

Luna is quietly trotting through the dream world. The area she’s in is full of the dreams of foals, and tonight, they seem to be sleeping quite peacefully on the whole. She hasn’t had to deal with many nightmares tonight. That is, until she sees a door which she is sure she hasn't seen before. Her stomach lurches when she feels the dark energy radiating from within. She approaches, and there is a heavy, ominous feeling that settles inside her stomach.

Without another thought she opens the door. Inside, a foal sits in the dim light, looking a little nervous, but not really afraid. Around him the air is suffocatingly thick with dark energy, but all in all he seems relatively unfazed. She frowns. What was giving off such an evil aura? It certainly wasn’t this foal. His aura was one of curiosity and paranoia. A feeling of foreboding sweeps over her as an unmistakable figure that she hasn’t seen in over a thousand years emerges from the darkness. The body she had spent years building for that dream spirit (who, as it had turned out, wasn’t a spirit at all) trots over to the foal. The foal makes no effort to run away. He just glances up at Cipher and then back down to the ground. Cipher leans down towards the young colt and whispers something in his twitching ear.

 Luna springs into action. She doesn’t know what’s going on, but she doesn’t like the devious look on Cipher’s face as he whispers to the foal. She would not let one so young be corrupted by Cipher. She focuses her gaze on the foal. Using her magic, she gently lifts the colt up and stands in front of Cipher. "Ah, your majesty! It's wonderful to see you again!" Cipher grins and bows mockingly. The colt is squirming in her magic uneasily. She glowers at Bill.

 "Cipher, the terms of our deal said no harm would come to a citizen of Equestria! And any nightmare that radiates as much dark magic as this one is guaranteed to be harmful." Her voice rattles around the empty void of the nightmare. Bill snickers. He snickers like a child right in front of her face, and it's a sound she never wanted to hear again.

 "Pine Tree here is not a citizen of Equestria! He's not even a citizen of this world! In fact, when he jumped into this one, he even let me tag along!" Luna spins around to look at the colt that is being held up by her magic. He opens his mouth to protest against what Bill had said. She carefully places him down, standing between him and Cipher; and advances towards him.

 Dipper stares up at the royal, his eyes filled with awe, curiosity and a fair amount of nervousness. Her face is almost unreadable, but there's a glint worry in her eyes. Dipper relaxes just a little. Perhaps this Princess would help him. Princesses were meant to be good, right? But then again, Bill did call her his associate. The phrase ‘trust no one’ comes to his mind.

 "Pine Tree, was it? Why have you brought Cipher here? Do you have any idea of the destruction and darkness he has already brought to Equestria?" Dipper shakes his head rapidly. "I didn't bring him here! He followed me- I don’t even know how! And my name isn't Pine Tree, it's-" Dippers voice cracks as he realises that Bill is has teleported right behind him, barely an inch away. Bill laughs as he wraps Dipper up in his wings, ignoring his protests. Luna practically snarls. “I will not let you corrupt another being, no matter what world they are of.”

 "I didn't force evil on anyone here! I didn't even destroy a single thing, well, okay, maybe _a few_ things; but nothing major, princess!” He leans towards her and his voice drops to a whisper “That was all you." It’s admittedly only a half truth, but he knows it’s enough guilt the princess. He pulls Dipper closer to him despite his protests. He knows how to push Luna's buttons better than most, a skill acquired through years of working together to create this form. "I'm just trying to help Pine Tree get out of here so he can go home to his beloved family! He misses his sister! I'm sure you can relate to that, Moon." The princess' eye twitches, and that's the only warning Dipper gets before all hell breaks loose.

 Luna's eyes glow white, and a loud voice that is almost not her own booms throughout the room " _ **How dare you, Cipher. How dare you bring that up. You have no right.**_ " Her horn glows blue, and almost before Dipper can process what's going on, he's slammed into Bill's chest as a brilliant blue light slams into a wall of cool fire. "Whoa! You’re quicker than I remember! I almost didn't get a chance to put up a shield!" Bill's voice is as cheerful as ever, despite the situation. Everywhere Dipper looks he sees blue and gold, he can't move from where he is neatly tucked in Cipher's wings. He's trapped between an insane demon and a princess who is, apparently, trying her best to kill said demon because of something he said that Dipper simply does not understand.

 As she shoots more magic at Bill, sparks begin to fly off her horn. Luna is only getting angrier and angrier; Bill’s laughter is growing louder and louder. She can’t stand listening to it anymore. It's the laugh of a condescending teenager who's watching a child throw a comical tantrum about something stupid; only much more maniacal. She hates it with a passion. She can hardly see through her blind rage, and Cipher's on his own territory. She's at an extreme disadvantage and she knows it. But she keeps shooting beams of magic.

 "Careful, your majesty!" If Dipper wasn't terrified, he might have rolled his eyes at just how painfully patronising Bill's voice was. But then, it dropped to a low, almost sinister tone "You wouldn't wanna hit the kid." Almost immediately, Luna's magical onslaught falters, her eyes cease glowing and returning to normal. Then, the magic slowly fades to nothing. As it does, the wall of fire dissipates too. The princess seems horrified with herself, like she hates the look of fear that the foal is giving her. Luna steps cautiously towards Bill and Dipper.

Cipher grins knowingly and draws Dipper closer to himself. “Careful, kid. I know I may not be the greatest guy in your books, but at least you know me. Well, better than you know her, anyway. I’ll get you home, Moon-Butt here wouldn’t know how to. She doesn’t get humans.” Dipper shakily mutters something about Bill not really getting humans either. Luna grits her teeth as she approaches, wondering in the back of her mind what a human might me. It doesn’t escape either her or Bill that Dipper shrinks back from her as she nears, just a little.

 “I apologize for my earlier actions, but believe me when I say that Cipher isn’t safe to be around. You should remain as far away from him as possible. He might…” She racks her brain for the right word “...Manipulate you into doing something you’ll regret.” Dipper looks at the ground and begins to fidget a bit from between Bill’s wings, Bill only looks at the colt and lets out a snorting laugh. With a sinking feeling it hits Luna that the warning might have come too late. Bill finally lets Dipper go, and he stumbles away from the demon. Dipper opens his mouth to say something else to the princess, but the dream begins to shift around them. “Looks like you’re waking up kid. I’ll see you on the other side. Princess Luna and I have important things to discuss, so I’ll catch ya later kid.” Luna reaches out for the foal, but as she does so, Cipher hits him on the back of the head with a hoof, knocking him back into the world of consciousness. The two alicorns are pulled back through the door, which then disappears. The corridor around Cipher slowly fades to grey.

 Cipher grins, but this time, it’s not irritating; it’s flat out disturbing, as the smile stretches much too far across his face. “What are you planning to do to him, Cipher?” Luna spits. Bill smirks, and his usually lively demeanour becomes something much, much more threatening. “I’ll help him find his portal home. Maybe teach him a thing or two on the way, make sure he learns the right things from the right people. Because when the time comes, he will make the right decision. And you won’t do a thing to stop him.” The final statement is just that, a statement. Bill acts as if he has seen the future himself (which, Luna supposes, wouldn’t be unbelievable). Cipher stretches out his wings, and with a mockingly polite goodbye, he takes off into the realm of the waking. As he goes, colour comes seeping back into the world around a very concerned Luna.

 ------------------

 When Dipper wakes up, he feels surprisingly well rested. He lifts up his head, wincing at the newly forming headache he’s getting. His skull aches as he rises from his makeshift bed in the grass. He notes that it’s definitely day-time, yet the forest manages to look just as threatening as it did in the dark. Cautiously rising to his feet –or rather hooves- he looks around him. He sees the still sleeping form of Bill a little ways off. Dipper begins to weigh his options carefully. He could run away while Bill was asleep- no, that was a terrible idea. He had no clue where he was or how to get back home. He didn’t even have his rucksack! How would a horse even wear a rucksack…? Calling for help would probably not end well. It could attract a strange predator of some kind, as Dipper was almost certain there would be plenty of those in a menacing forest in a land full of talking horses.

 So, having no idea what to do or where to go, Dipper does the only thing he can think of at the moment: nothing. He sits down -definitely not falling over in the process- and waits for Bill to get back. He wonders what all that talk of corruption and going home was about. His mind flashes back to the book on Equestria he read. He doesn’t remember many of the details, but he’s fairly sure that Luna is the not-so-mythical Nightmare Moon. How old that would make her is beyond him, but it gives him a point to reference to work from. He’s so deep in his brooding thoughts he doesn’t realise Bill is awake, until a head that’s always screaming lands in front of him. Dipper lets out a yell -not a girly scream, certainly not- and falls backwards off his haunches. Bill roars with laughter. Dipper scowls. God, he hates that demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun to write! Jeez, I just realised what a dick Bill is when I write him... Well. Anyways. There it is. I feel like everyone's ooc and it came out pretty dialogue heavy. And foreshadowing heavy. And backshadowing heavy. Is that even a word? It is now. Anyways, tell me what you think! I'm always open to criticisms and all that. If you see I've mixed up my tenses, let me know so I can fix it. It's a habit I'm trying to break atm. ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill's scheme is set to go, and Dipper finally gets a look at his new form

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever because I got distracted by writing other things, and then went camping. I'm sat outside the reception of the campsite on my dad's laptop right now, actually. It's also my birthday today! Anyways, enjoy the late chapter, and sorry >-

Luna stares at the door to her sister's chamber, and takes a deep breath before opening it. "Celestia, may I speak with you? It is an urgent matter.” Her sister nods warmly, and the two guards outside close the door behind her when she enters. "What is it, sister?" Celestia asks worriedly, and it's at times like this when Luna can really see her sister's age showing. "I... I encountered a threat last night; a corrupt, and frankly insane dream spirit who has access to the physical realm. I do not know what he wishes to do, but he has a foal from another realm with him who is suffering under his corrupting influence as we speak."

 

Celestia rises gracefully up to her full height, ruffling her feathers a little. "What would you suggest we do?  We no longer posses the elements of harmony, you and I are not prepared enough for battle-" she takes a deep breath, and looks at Luna.  Luna shifts her weight from one hoof to the other, and then back again. "Cipher -that's the spirit- told me he would be guiding the young one home, as he is not of this world. This would be fine, but he mentioned something about a choice that the foal would have to make. I do not think that this bodes well for us. Cipher wouldn’t help just anyone, not without the outcome favoring him." They stand in silence for a while, both lost in thought.

 

Celesta furrows her eyebrows "Perhaps we could try to speak with this spirit, and find out how he gained access to Equestria, gain a little more knowledge of his background-" "No!" Luna bites her lip. "No, that won't be necessary. Our first priority should be returning the young one home before Cipher's influence on him grows any stronger. We should put him first."

 

Celestia’s frown deepens. “Luna, I trust your judgment. You have met this spirit; from the sounds of things know his general character. Given the situation, you know better than I what’s best. However, if there’s a chance we could reason with it, I think that we should take it. We are no longer in our prime, and without the elements… A peaceful conclusion is ideal.” Her sister is so tired, Luna realises. They are both getting old, and there are lines beginning to show on Celestia’s face, drawn in by many stressful years on the throne without her support, lifetimes of friends passing and leaving her without a constant in her long life. This is her fault, she reminds herself, allowing the guilt to stab her heart. She deserves it.

 

\----

 

Dipper’s hoofsteps echo through the murky forest as he follows Bill. The dream demon won't tell him where they’re going, and it frustrates Dipper to no end. However, he supposes that following Bill is still his best bet, better to stick with the demon he knows then wander around these menacing woods with no journal. And so, deeper and deeper they go into the thick of the forest. When they come to a sudden ledge, Bill picks him up with his magic -a sensation Dipper is sure he'll never get used to- and dumps him unceremoniously on the other side with a small yelp. With a toss of his mane, Bill unfurls his wings and glides over to Dipper. Show off.

 

When they turn to face the castle, Dipper lets out a small gasp. The ruins are overgrown with dark teal leaves like those on the surrounding trees. The ruins themselves are grey and curve elegantly into broken arches. As they walk through one of the carefully carved archways, the grandeur of the castle is not hindered by the state it’s in. Even in disrepair, the elegance of the building is still there. The whole place has an air of feral regality to it, Dipper thinks as he looks around. Feral regality. Dipper glances at Bill, and he thinks the castle suits the demon standing beside him.

 

The demon leads the boy into a tower off to the side, and the place fills Dipper with a sense of dread. Bill trots over to a stony platform on the far side of the room, and comes to stand by a small pile of… Shards? Dipper’s curiosity gets the better of him, and he cautiously approaches Bill. “What are those?” He asks, not really expecting to get a straight answer. The shimmering material is a sad blue, gleaming brightly. The thin layer of dust settled on the floor has not settled on the fragments, almost as if even the dust is afraid to touch them. “They look like egg shells…” Bill grins. “Not quite, kid! What you’re looking at here is dark magic!” Dipper opens his mouth to ask another question, but the demon cuts him off “Hey kid, fancy learning some equestrian magic? You are a unicorn, after all” What? **_What?_** Dipper’s hoof flies up to his forehead and sure enough, there’s a horn there. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, then opens it again.

 

“Hey look, a human turned into a unicorn pretending to be a fish!” Bill laughs. In a burst of flame, an elegantly decorated mirror appears in front of Dipper. He stares at his reflection. His coat is brown all over, and his fluffy tail and messy mane stick out in every direction. He turns to face his side. His breath hitches. On his flank is a blue pine tree, where Bill has a strange triangle of sorts. And, sure enough, on his head is a horn, much shorter and blunter than Bill’s. He tentatively runs a hand up his bangs – forelock? - to touch it, revealing shots of white fur aligning in the shape of the big dipper.

 

Bill stamps his hoof on the ground once, and the mirror disappears in a burst of flame. “Whadda say, kid? Up for some magic lessons with ol’ Bill Cipher?” His teeth flash as he smirks confidently, already knowing the answer. Dipper shakes his head “Forget it Bill! I’d never want anything from you! You’re just trying to make a deal with me, and it won’t work this time!” He shifts anxiously from hoof to hoof.

 

Bill laughs. "Relax, kid! I just want to help you fulfill your magical potential. There's no harm in that, is there?" Dipper worries his lip. Scanning Bill's words for double meanings has become something of a second nature, and he's noticed that everything is a little vague, a little leeway for interpretation. "So you're gonna teach me magic?" He says slowly. Bill nods quickly, eyes gleaming. "Ok, I guess, but do we have to do it here? This place..." This place is scary and he really wants to leave. He doesn't say as such incase Bill would laugh at him. Which he’s almost certain the demon would do anyway. Either way, Bill insists that, yes they do have to do it here, no objections, kid; and then begins telling Dipper about how Equestrian magic works.

 

"All equestrians contain some form of magic in their being, the strongest being in an alicorn like myself." Bill pauses the flex his wings. "The strongest after that on a magical scale are unicorns, like yourself, followed by the pegasi and finally earth ponies. It's a common misconception that earth ponies aren't magical, but this system keeps the unicorns at the top of the power tree, which won't be questioned until a civil war that won't happen for another couple hundred years!" Dipper's head is spinning, Bill speaks really fast when he's teaching, but Dipper finds the information easy to absorb. He wonders if he should warn anyone about the upcoming pony war... But Bill is still talking, and as annoying as his voice is, Dipper wants to learn magic.

 

"Ok, kid, focus on your horn, and imagine pushing outwards." He does so, screwing up his face in a frankly adorable way. A blue light sparks on the tip of his horn. "Ok kid, now open your eyes, focus on this rock and try to levitate it - you gotta will it to rise." When Dipper opens his eyes, he stares at the rock, and then, it's in his grasp. Surrounded by a gentle blue glow, much less harsh than Bill's flames. It's pure magic from inside him, and he can't stop staring at it. While he's transfixed, Bill watches his face. He's waited a thousand years for the pieces to fall into place, and he's done with subtlety. "Hey kid, you wanna get stronger real fast? It's easy!" Dipper's gaze flicks to Bill and as he does so, the rock falls against the hard floor with a clack.

 

"Just follow my instructions and you'll learn more about magic then you could possibly learn from that journal!" Dipper narrows his eyes. "So am I selling my soul, or doing an apprenticeship? There's always a deal involved with you " Bill laughs. "Your real smart Pine Tree! I want to teach you for the same reasons I want to take you home. But you'd better make up your mind soon, we're on a tight schedule." What schedule? Besides, this isn't an instant decision he can make! Oh, but he wants to learn magic so badly, and be powerful! He could be rich and famous, be a real life superhero! But Bill has tricked him before, is it a risk worth taking? Then again, the demon is going to take him back home...

 

Images of bullies pushing him around, thoughts of people laughing at him, jeering flash through his mind. The weird conspiracy kid. Mabel’s awkward sweaty brother. He grinds his teeth. If he'd been stronger, he wouldn't have been picked on all these years. Bill watches the face turn from suspicion, to want, to suspicion again, and then it settles into a stony coldness. "You've made your choice." It's a statement, not a question. After a moment’s hesitation, the younger nods his head slowly.

 

Bill's grin is practically face splitting. Bill grabs his hoof before he knows what's going on. "It's a deal!" Dipper immediately feels a sense of impending doom and damn it why did he make another deal. “Bill! I thought you said this wasn’t a deal!” No, wait, he'd dodged the question. Bill's eyes are gleaming dangerously in the dim light, but he turns away from Dipper and then picks up one of the shards, his magic casting strange shadows and a blue sheen to the room. He spins back around. “Sit down kid, make yourself comfortable!" His legs lower him down, letting his legs bend where feels natural. When he's sat on the cold floor, Bill is impossibly tall.

 

Bill stares at the young foal sitting on the floor, who is eyeing him warily, and he realises how interesting this kid is. Most wouldn't survive being torn into the mindscape, or dragged into another world with such drastic body changes as there are here. But at the same time, he's not an ancient man, achieving great things through years of training; he’s an adorable young boy -no shame in admitting it- whose magic potential is already more than promising. But right now he needs to put one last piece into place; one final domino before it all falls down. He inspects the shards of dark magic, feeling the energy radiating off them.

 

Dipper flinches when the magic fragments are lowered down in front of him, he can feel the anger and bitterness coming off them in waves. Bill's eyes flash brightly in the edge of his vision, but he can't stop staring at the shards, blinking as they burst into flame. What's left is no longer gleaming, but a pure, matt, black. They are small spheres that were once jagged broken shells. He can't feel any emotion anymore, just the energy radiating towards him. A person could get drunk off this much energy, this much power. With another burst of flame, the spheres all roll into one.

 

Finally, after too long in silence his eyes flick to Bill. "This is pure dark magic, well, let's call it that for the sake of your fragile human mind. But either way, this is yours now. You probably won't implode from all the energy during the transfer, so there’s probably nothing to worry about, kid!" Dipper's eyes flick from Bill to the shards, then back to Bill again. "What do you mean mine? What do you mean transfer?!" There's panic rising in his voice. Bill simply tells him it's easier with a demonstration, and before Dipper can scramble to his hooves, the shards, all merged together, touch the point of his horn, and he falls still.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, if anyone wants to talk to me, my tumblr's http://rudalu.tumblr.com   
> Sorry if the grammar's not as good on this chapter, I use word to check it and I don't really understand how the mac works... As always, criticisms welcome, and thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so there it is. There is my mess. Tell me what you thought! I'm definitely open to criticisms. I'm going to instantly regret posting this.


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